The Chinatown Coalition celebrated its 20th anniversary on Feb. 14 at Hostelling International. Its present committee includes representatives from the Asian Community Development Corporation, Boston Chinese Evangelical Church, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University and the Chinese Progressive Association.

“We started in 1993, when there were lots of organizations that did great work individually and with each other, but there was not a lot of communication between groups,” said David Moy, founder and former executive director of BCNC. “The TCC has built relationships and we’ve seen a transition of leadership to young people in the neighborhood.”

As an interagency committee, the first TCC meetings were hosted at each organization’s headquarters, including the former YMCA bubble. Since its founding, it has drawn up the Chinatown Master Plan, first in 2000 and again in 2010, to highlight community development needs.

“TCC started in 1993, when most of us were protesting Tufts Medical Center,” said Lydia Lowe, executive director of the CPA. “It was a tense time and we needed a neutral space to talk things out.”

As part of Valentine’s Day, the legacy of St. Valentine — jailed for helping those in need — was a timely reminder.

“Sometimes it’s easier to throw stones, so it helps to see each other” said Thomas Lee, assistant pastor at BCEC’s Newton campus. “We speak the truth in love to one another.”